UFC welterweight contenders Johny Hendricks and Stephen Thompson are set to collide in the co-main event of UFC 196 early next year. The news was confirmed on the UFC 194 broadcast on Saturday evening.
Hendricks (17-3) was supposed to meet Tyron Woodley in a No. 1 contenders bout at UFC 192 in October but pulled out of the bout due to weight cutting issues. In his last outing, he dominated Matt Brown by decision earlier this year. The former champ became the titleholder in March 2014 after defeating Robbie Lawler for the vacant belt.